Against Their Will
by Ex-Shark-Virtue-005
Summary: Ribbons decides that Tieria can no longer be allowed out of his sight and captures him on the worst day possible. Full summary inside. Spoilers up to episode forty-five are present. What happens when Tieria refuses to anwser to Ribbons?
1. The Day From Hell

Konnichiwa minna-san! I'm here with another Gundam 00 fic! I'm having too much fun with this series but that's besides the point. There is use of a syringe in this, similar to the one that Setsuna used in episode forty. This story takes place halfway through season two after episode forty-five so spoilers are present!

Full Summary: Since trying to capture the 00 Gundam resulted in failure, the destruction of three more mobile suits and the death of Anew, Ribbons decides to capture one of the Meisters instead. He also decides that Tieria cannot be left out of his sight for any longer and captures him on the worst possible day, the five year anniversary of Neil's death. What will happen to Tieria when he refuses to answer to Ribbons?

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or the characters but the plot is all mine.

* * *

Chapter One: The Day From Hell

"I'm heading out in the Seravee," Tieria said as he entered the bridge of the Ptolemaios.

"Where are you going Erde-san?" Mileina asked

"Ireland, it's been five years," Tieria said somberly

The people in the bridge were silent for several minutes until Sumeragi spoke, "You're clear to go Tieria," She said as she put her hand on Tieria's shoulder, "Take your time."

"Thank you," Tieria said as he left the bridge

* * *

"Tieria is heading out," Regene said under the control of Ribbons Alamark, "He's on his way to Ireland."

Ribbons released his mental hold on the purple haired Innovator, "Thank you Regene," Ribbons said with a malicious smile, "Hilling will attack him, then you, Regene will pull him from his Gundam and take his place." Ribbons looked Regene right in the eye, "There will be no acting on your own in this operation," he said, "Should you do so, Tieria Erde will be disposed of. Remember Regene Regetta, your free will belongs to me, Ribbons Alamark."

* * *

A blue-haired girl sat in a large and loud gymnasium. The laughter and yelling of her classmates never reached her ears, she was concentrating on something.

"Tieria Erde," she muttered to no one in particular, "Why does that name sound so familiar?"

* * *

Tieria stood in front of a large, ornate Celtic cross grave marker. As usual it was raining, it was always raining when he visited this place. He placed a slender hand on the rough, weather-worn granite.

"Neil…Dylandi…" He muttered tears obscuring his vision and fogging his already soaked glasses. He never bothered using an umbrella; he didn't care if he ended up freezing and soaked to the bone. "I'm sorry…" Tieria still felt responsible for Neil's death and he still felt awful about not being at his first true friend's funeral. He rested his head against the grave marker and sighed. About a day after Neil's death, Tieria himself had almost been killed in battle and from what his remaining comrades had said, there were times when they had thought that he wasn't going to make it. The funeral had been about a month after the battle, or so he was told. Sumeragi and Feldt had attended and said that only the remaining members of Celestial Being, minus himself, had been there. He had been in an ICU capsul at Krung Thep for the funeral, stuggling to barely hold on to his own life. "Lockon…"

"_Hurry outta here Tieria," _Neil's voice came, _"They're coming after you!"_

"Lockon!" Tieria cried

"_Hurry Tieria," _Neil's voice came again, _"I don't want you to get caught!"_

"Lockon Stratos!" Tieria cried

//I found you Tieria Erde//

Pain exploded in Tieria's head as someone tried to get into it. He ran towards his Gundam blinded by the pain and the torrential downpour.

"_Run Tieria," _Neil called, _"Don't let them get you."_

"S-stop…" Tieria stammered, "Get out…get out of my head." He came up to his Gundam and clambered in, nearly slipping on the rain soaked metal, "Seravee…Tieria Erde…launching!" He took off and was immediately kicked in the back by the Gadessa. The hit did nothing to help the blinding pain in his head. "Lockon…" Tieria muttered as he got hit again. The second hit caused him to hit his aching head on the seat and there was a sharp pain in his leg, "Neil…" he muttered as he lost consciousness.

* * *

"Ribbons, our part is done," Hilling called as she watched the Seravee collapsed to the ground as its pilot lost consciousness, "Tieria Erde went down faster than we thought he would."

"Looks like he wasn't as strong as Veda predicted," Revive said

//Regene, it's your turn// Ribbons said

Regene sighed as he walked over to Tieria's fallen Gundam and got the cockpit to open. He stepped inside and before Hilling and Revive could see what he was doing, he took the provisions from the cockpit and put them in the gun holder on Tieria's suit.

"What are you doing in there Regene?" Hilling asked

"Removing his gun," Regene said as he held up the gun and threw it into the back of the cockpit

"Smart thinking Regene," Hilling said, "You might be the weirdest one of us but you do get some good ideas every so often. Now, hurry up and get him outta there before he comes to."

Regene scowled a bit at Hilling's insult, //_she should look in a mirror_// he thought as he pulled Tieria from his Gundam

"He really does look a lot like you," Revive said, "But his hair is a lot tamer than yours."

//_You should also look in a mirror every once in a while_// Regene thought as Revive took Tieria.

"Have fun with Celestial Being," Revive said as he dragged Tieria off to where Ribbons was waiting for them, "Better you than me."

//Don't worry Regene, we'll take good care of him//

* * *

"The Seravee was engaged in a battle," Mileina said, "Erde-san, do you need assistance?"

//No I've got it under control//

"Alright," Mileina said as she turned the communicator off, "Erde-san seems to be having a bad day."

Sumeragi sighed, "I'm not going to have him sortie later," She said vacantly, "Emotionally, he's in no condition to fight today, it wouldn't be a good idea…"

"What about the other Meisters?" Mileina asked, "They were affected five years ago as well."

"Not to the extent that Tieria was affected," Sumeragi said softly, "To this day, Tieria still blames himself for Neil's death. He needs to rest; he didn't sleep much last night, he never does around this time. Having him sortie would not end well; he wouldn't be able to fight."

* * *

Regene sighed as he flew back towards the Ptolemaios in the Seravee Gundam. He felt bad for Tieria, he knew of the events that had taken place five years earlier. In a few days that girl would contact him and they would put _that _plan into action.

//_Please Tieria, hold on for a few days//_

* * *

Ribbons looked at Tieria, who had come around, as Revive piloted the shuttle

"I finally get you back, Tieria Erde" Ribbons said, "At first, I was willing to let you stay with Celestial Being but when you killed Bring Stability I decided I couldn't allow you out of my sight."

"Bring got…what he…deserved…" Tieria gasped, the pain in his leg was incredible

"You killed one of your own," Ribbons said

"No…I didn't," Tieria said, "I killed…an Innovator…I'm human…"

"Heh, you've been affected by humans far worse than I thought," Ribbons said, "But no matter how much you deny it, you're still an Innovator." Ribbons tried to synchronize his thoughts with Tieria's but found he couldn't, //_Why can't I get into his head?_// Ribbons thought, "You were able to interface with Veda five years ago. That is an ability that only Innovators possess."

"You took…that away from…me," Tieria said

"Do you want it back?" Ribbons asked

"No," Tieria said, "Veda…means nothing to me."

"Then why dose Celestial Being want Veda back?" Revive asked

"So we…can let the world…know what…the A-Laws have…really been doing," Tieria answered.

Ribbons once again tried to get into Tieria's head, //_Why can't I control him?_// He thought, //_Could it be that he is…? Is it even possible that he is...?_//

* * *

When the Seravee docked, Regene was almost afraid to leave the cockpit of the Gundam.

"What's wrong Erde-san?" A young girl's voice came

"It's nothing," Regene said as he opened the cockpit. Even thought Ribbons had ensured that he would look and sound exactly like Tieria, Regene was afraid of being caught, not for his sake, but for Tieria's. Regene sighed and headed towards his 'new' room.

Regene found Tieria's room to be very plain, only a green helmet with a cracked visor and a pink cardigan decorated it. He sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands, //_Forgive me, Tieria_//

The door opened and Regene looked up //_Sumeragi Li Noriega//_

"Are you alright?" She asked in a very kind and concerned voice

"Yeah," Regene said, "I guess."

Sumeragi sighed, "No, you're not, I can tell by the look on your face. I'm not going to have you sortie today, you need sometime for yourself." She smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you,"

* * *

"Get up Tieria!" Ribbons yelled as they arrived at their destination.

Tieria slowly sat up, wincing as pain shot through his leg and up to his shoulder. He carefully swung his uninjured leg off of the bench he was laying on. He tired to stand up but the pain was too great and he fell over.

"Get up Tieria Erde!" Ribbons yelled as he tried to control Tieria

"I can't…" Tieria gasped as he held his leg

"Get up now!" Ribbons yelled getting frustrated with Tieria. When the Meister still refused to stand Ribbons promptly slapped him across the face, "Fine, stay here until I feel like coming to get you." With that Ribbons and Revive left Tieria alone in the shuttle.

//Forgive me Tieria…// He heard

"Regene…Regetta…" Tieria muttered

//Tieria Erde?// He heard, //Tieria are you alright?//

//_I think I broke my leg when I crashed_// Tieria thought hoping that that was how the telepathy worked

//I put some of the provisions from your Gundam in your gun holder. There should be something for the pain//

Tieria checked his gun holder and found the food that Regene had left there and among it was two doses of pain medication. He popped the cap off one of the syringes and winced as he injected the medication into his leg.

//Ribbons is heading your way Tieria// Regene's voice resonated, //I'll communicate with you later, but please don't do anything to really anger Ribbons. I don't want him to kill you//

//_Okay_// Tieria thought, //_Thank you Regene_//

"Who are you communicating with?" Ribbons' voice came

"No one," Tieria lied

"Your eyes were yellow," Ribbons said,

"I wasn't communicating with anyone," Tieria said as he tried to stand with a little more success this time, "You must have been seeing things."

"I see you're more willing to move this time," Ribbons said as he noticed the syringe in Tieria's hand, "Where did you get that medication?"

"I keep it on me in case something like this happens," Tieria said. His injured leg was numb but would not support his weight.

"Do you have anymore?" Ribbons asked

"No," Tieria lied. He didn't want to dawdle, he knew the medication that he had just injected into his leg usually made him violently ill and it was only a matter of time before it happened.

"Can you walk?' Ribbons asked, "Or do I need to control you?"

"I don't think you have the ability to control me," Tieria said as he took a shaky step. He stomach was beginning to twinge a bit and he just wanted to lie down. "I think I can walk."

"Good, now get going" Ribbons said as he shoved Tieria,

"I don't know where I'm going," Tieria said as his stomach began to hurt more and the beginnings of nausea were setting in. Nearly As soon as he said this, Hilling appeared in the doorway behind Ribbons.

"Don't worry," She said in a sinister tone, "I know where you're going. Now walk!"

The walk wasn't a far one but with his numb leg and possibly broken leg and increasing nausea, it wasn't and easy journey for Tieria. He had one hand against the wall for support and the other clutching his stomach as he walked as fast as he could. He could feel the sweat running down his forehead and he just wanted to sleep the sick feeling in his stomach off.

"Your new 'home' is just at the end of this hall way," Hilling said as Tieria stopped to catch his breath, "Don't dawdle!" She yelled as she shoved him to the ground.

Tieria clamped his hand over his mouth, while the other remained at his aching stomach, willing himself not to be sick in front of the female Innovator.

"What's wrong?" She asked, "Are you going to be sick? What a weakling! You can't even handle the pain of walking on a broken leg! I hope you know that Ribbons will have your head if you throw up on his floor." She grabbed Tieria's collar and roughly pulled him into a standing position, "Get up Tieria Erde!"

The sudden movement caused Tieria's stomach to lurch horribly and his will was nearly overpowered. Somehow, he was able to make it to his 'new home' as Hilling had put it, without being sick. He staggered over to a small washroom and was violently sick for nearly five straight minutes. When he was sure that his stomach was completely empty he tried to clean up as best he could with a numb leg and a now spinning head. He ran a wash cloth under ice cold water and looked at his reflection. His face was nearly deathly pale; his eyes were bloodshot and held dark circles underneath. He then staggered across the room trying very hard not to pass out and collapsed on the bed that the Innovators were nice enough to leave for him. He didn't even bother to pull the covers over him, he just placed the cool compress on his clammy forehead, //_Lockon, I'm sorry…forgive me…Neil Dylandi…_// With that tears came to Tieria's eyes as he lost consciousness.

* * *

Well that's all for now. Let me know what you thought by reviewing. Oh and the blue-haired girl is an OC so she's mine.

_Ex-shark-7 _


	2. Discoveries

Konnichiwa minna-san! I'm back with the second chapter. I don't have anything to say about it so I'll let you get started after the brief disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or its characters. I own Shinead and the plot.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Two: Discoveries

Regene stood in the observation deck of the Ptolemaios staring into the dark abyss. He was wearing Tieria's normal outfit which made him feel even worse about the situation that his genetic twin was in. He heard the door open and in the reflection of the glass a teenager with pink hair appeared.

"Feldt…"

The girl looked at him then her eyes widened, "You look so much like him," She said softly, "Where's Tieria?"

Regene spun around and looked at the girl, "What do you mean?" He asked his eyes wide

"You're not Tieria Erde," Feldt said, "You look exactly like him and at first I was nearly fooled but there's just something about you."

Regene remained silent if he was discovered then Tieria would be killed.

"Who are you?" Feldt asked, "Why are you here? Where is my brother!?" She screamed as she pulled a gun out of her jacket and aimed it at Regene, "Should I report you, or just shoot you?"

"Please wait," Regene said as he sank to the floor, "If I'm discovered Ribbons Alamark will shoot Tieria with a pseudo GN-particle gun and let the cellular mutation slowly and painfully deteriorate his body until it kills him."

"What do they want from him?" Feldt asked still pointing her gun at Regene

"Ribbons wants information on the 00 Gundam," Regene said, "He also wants to know more about Trans-am and the Raiser System."

"Heh," Feldt laughed, "What idiots," She said darkly, "Tieria is the most stubborn of all of us. He won't say a word."

* * *

Tieria came around some time later with Ribbons and Revive standing over him.

"I'm not happy about the little mess you made last night," Ribbons said, "But anyway there is something I want to discuss with you, how does the 00 Gundam work?"

"I don't know," Tieria muttered. His head and stomach were still aching and his leg was throbbing horribly, "They don't share that information with the pilots."

"Surely you must know how it works," Revive said

"I don't even know how the solar furnaces work," Tieria said

"What about Trans-Am?" Ribbons asked

"Again," Tieria said, "I don't know…but we do have you to thank for that. If you hadn't have hacked Veda we would have never gotten Trans-Am." For this little retort Tieria received another sharp slap in the face.

"How do you not know how your machine works?" Revive asked

"I thought the blue prints for the GN-Drives were stored in Veda," Tieria said as he looked up at Ribbons, "I thought you had full access. I'm sure you can find how the GN-Drives work with the blue prints."

Enraged, Ribbons brought his hand down hard on Tieria's injured leg and he screamed in pain, "What about that little Gundam that accompanies yours?"

"Like…hell…I'd tell…you…how that…works…" Tieria said smirking despite the pain that had traveled up to his shoulder.

Ribbons once again slammed his hand down on Tieria's leg right where the bone was broken. He watched as Tieria paled then passed out due to the pain.

"How are we supposed to interrogate him if you just knocked him out?" Revive asked

"Don't question me!" Ribbons yelled as he slapped Revive across the face as well, "I'll get Tieria Erde to talk however I see fit!"

* * *

Hilling stood outside of a high school, //No fair// she thought, //Revive gets to interrogate Tieria Erde and I'm stuck here picking up the human//

"You're late!" Hilling yelled as a blue haired girl exited the school.

"There was a math elite meeting that I needed to attend," She said, "I told Ribbons about it."

"Ribbons gives you too much freedom," Hilling said, "A worthless human such as yourself should be locked up."

"I'm glad you're not Ribbons then," the girl said

"What was that human?" Hilling yelled

"I'm just saying _innovator_," The girl said, "Ribbons knows something about me that scares him which is why I'm allowed way more freedom than you."

"How!?" Hilling yelled, "Human!" She then charged at the other girl who side stepped.

"You really are an idiot," The blue haired girl said as Hilling, who had fallen, looked up at her, "No matter how many times you try to fight me, I'll always win. You claim to be a "top-class" fighter in a mobile suit but when it comes to good old-fashioned fist fighting, you sink the failboat."

Hilling stood up, "I can fight, human," She said

"Prove it but beating me in a spar," The girl said, "Innovator."

"Alright human," Hilling said as once again she went to punch the girl.

The girl stood there with her eyes closed until just before Hilling punched. She then grabbed the Innovator's wrists and kneed her in the stomach twice then knocked her to the ground with a roundhouse kick, "Next time make it worth my time," She said as Hilling slowly stood up, "We should get going, if we're late you'll get blamed."

"Damn human," Hilling said as they walked off.

* * *

Feldt watched as Regene tried to communicate with Tieria and when his now yellow eyes went back to red he sighed.

"Tieria's unconscious," Regene said, "Ribbons knocked him out."

"How does that work?' Feldt asked, "The non-verbal communication."

"Tieria and I are connected through quantum brainwaves," Regene said, "We also have the same DNA."

"You said that Tieria's unconscious," Feldt said, "What happened?"

"His leg was broken when he crashed," Regene said, "And he was violently ill last night."

"So," Feldt said, "When the Innovators decide that they want you back are you going to do what Anew Returner did?" She asked, "Are you going to shoot one of us then steal the 00 Raiser?"

"No," Regene said, "I'm not like-"

"Not like what?" Feldt said as she pulled her gun out again, "How can I be sure that you're not lying to me? How can I be sure that it was Tieria you were trying to communicate with and not Ribbons? How can I be sure you're going to get my brother back? How can I be sure you're not going to kill us all!?"

"Feldt Grace," A voice said as someone put a hand on her shoulder, "Regene Regetta is telling the truth."

"Setsuna…" Feldt muttered as she lowered her gun, "What do we do?"

"We trust Regene," Setsuna said,

* * *

A few hours later Tieria woke to something hard being placed on his chest, "Eat," A female voice said as Tieria opened his eyes. Both the look and the smell of the food made his upset stomach churn even more and he shut his eyes again, "Ribbons told me to make you eat this."

"I'm not hungry," Tieria murmured trying to keep himself from throwing up again.

"Eat it Tieria Erde!" Hilling yelled

"My stomach is still sick," Tieria said hoping that maybe she would just leave him alone, "I wouldn't be able to hold anything down."

"The pain is still making you feel sick?" She sneered, "Your tolerance for pain must be extremely low. You must be the worst excuse for a pilot that I've ever seen! Well that's no excuse, eat now or I'll force it down your throat myself!"

"Do you really want me to make a mess again?" Tieria asked softly

"Hell no!" Hilling yelled, "That was not fun last night! Ribbons and Revive made _me _clean the mess because I'm a girl."

"I'll end up sick again if I eat anything right now," Tieria said, "I'm sure you can work with that." He then shut his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

"Tieria Erde!" Hilling yelled as she tried to wake him up again. When she realized that Tieria was not going to wake she picked up the tray and stormed out of the room.

"What were you doing in there with a tray of food?" Hilling heard as she shut the door.

The female innovator jumped up in surprise and nearly dropped the full tray of food, "What are you doing here?" She demanded

"Just taking a walk," Shinead said casually, "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to eat somewhere else today," Hilling said

"Then why is your tray still full?" Shinead said,

"I decided that the room isn't good for a quiet meal," Hilling said

"Why did you lock the door?" Shinead asked

"I didn't lock the door," Hilling said, "What are you talking about human?"

Shinead walked up to the door and tried to open it, "See it's locked," She said, "What are you bastards hiding?"

"We're not hiding anything," Hilling said

"You're lying," Shinead said, "That door isn't sound proof, you were yelling at someone."

"Well, well, I see the human has discovered our little secret."

"Ribbons," Hilling gasped,

"I'll tell you what," Ribbons said, "If you can find a way into that room I'll let you help the person who is in there."

"Alright," Shinead said calmly, "That should be easy."

"It's locked with Veda," Ribbons said, "Even Hilling can't open it."

"Like I said," Shinead retorted, "It should be easy."

"If you say so," Ribbons said, "Hilling I'm stepping out for a bit." He eyed the full tray, "We will discuss that when I get back." He leaned closer to Hilling, "Make sure she doesn't get in there."

"Alright," Hilling said as she sat outside the door and watched as Shinead sighed and walked away, "That's right human, you can't get in that room now." Several minutes passed and Shinead walked back to the room holding a tray with a small bowl of rice and a large glass of water, "What are you doing?" She asked,

"Helping the person who is in there," Shinead said, "what else would I be doing? Trying to find a new dinning place?"

"You really are a stupid human," Hilling said, "Not even I can open that door now."

"Well, Miss. Care," Shinead said, "There's a reason why Ribbons is so afraid of me." She paused, "I can control that precious computer of yours."

"What?!" Hilling gasped, "How!?"

"A little thing called Electromagnetic Frequencies," She said, "And computers and people with quantum brainwaves don't seem to like them very much." At that moment Hilling froze and the door opened, "I'll see you later Miss. Care." Hilling then collapsed to the ground and Shinead entered the room.

* * *

Somehow, Tieria once again found himself conscious. Something had woken him up but he couldn't figure out what it was. He then heard the door slide open and he pretended to be asleep.

* * *

Shinead walked into the dark room. She could barely make out a figure lying on a bed at the other end of the room but she couldn't make out the face. She cautious walked up to the bed and turned on a dim lamp and she gasped, "Regene?" She asked as the purple haired boy opened his eyes, "No, wait, you're not Regene. Who are you?"

"You should know my name," he whispered, "And I told that other girl, I'm not going to eat anything you give me."

"I'm not like that other girl," She said, "I'm not an Innovator. So please tell me your name."

"Tieria Erde," He said, "I didn't think Ribbons liked humans."

"He doesn't," Shinead said, "He just keeps me around because I am able to deactivate his little computer."

"You can deactivate Veda?" Tieria asked,

"Yeah I can," Shinead said, "You look a lot like Regene."

Tieria sighed, "I met him once," He said, "And he told me that we had the same DNA."

"That would make sense," Shinead said, "You were made in pairs, you are one of them aren't you?"

"I don't know what I am," Tieria said softly, "Up until I met Regene I thought I knew what my purpose was but now I'm not sure anymore."

"You have to be true to yourself," Shinead said, "Only you can determine what you're going to do." Tieria nodded and shut his eyes, "You're not feeling at all well, are you?" Tieria shook his head, "I take it you won't be eating anything." Once again Tieria shook his head. Shinead placed the back of her hand to Tieria's forehead, "You're not really warm, your temperature might be slightly irregular but I don't think you have a fever. I'm going to leave you to sleep now alright."

"Will you be back?" He asked

"I will if you want me to come back," Shinead said, "Do you want me to come back?"

Tieria nodded then shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

//So she was able to get into the room was she// Ribbons thought as his eyes returned to their normal lilac purple, //There will be consequences for the three of them for that//

* * *

Regene was caught between a rock and a hard place. Now two members of Celestial being knew that he was not Tieria.

"Setsuna F. Seiei…" He muttered

"You haven't called me that in a while Tieria Erde," Setsuna said

"You're not going to report me?" he asked, "You're going to pretend I'm Tieria?"

"If I don't Tieria will be killed, am I right?" Setsuna asked

"Yes," Regene said, "Ribbons has his ways of finding out if he doesn't already know." He paused, "I know how important Tieria is to your crew members and I don't want to bear the burden of being the cause of his death for the rest of my life."

"We understand," Setsuna said,

"Thank you Regene," Feldt said softly, "And I'm sorry, I wish I was more level headed."

"It's alright," Regene said, "I understand why you were so cautious but I can assure you that Ribbons cannot control me the way he could control Anew."

* * *

//So Regene was discovered already, I can't wait to see how this will all play out//

* * *

Well there it is. Let me know what you thought! Oh I'll probably be changing my penname (again) to: Ex-Shark-Virtue-005 so look out for it!

Ex-shark-7


	3. Nightmare Plans

Konnichiwa minna-san! I'm back! This story has proved to be quite fun to write. The section in italics is a dream sequence. I'll try to update every other week or so, so look out for it. After the stupid disclaimer you can start reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or its characters. I own Shinead and the plot.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Three: Nightmare Plans

Hilling groggily came to. She couldn't remember what had happened but she knew that it had something to do with that human. //Where is that goddam human? She owes me an explanation//

"_I see you're finally awake,"_

"Where are you human?" Hilling yelled

"_In the room you failed to keep me out of,"_

"How the hell did you get in there!?" Hilling yelled

"_I already told you that stupid innovator,"_

"How the hell are you talking to me anyway?" Hilling asked

"_There's a communication device near the door dumbass,"_ Shinead said, _"And it just happens to work both ways."_

Hilling walked up to the door and found the communicator that Shinead had mentioned, "I really truly hate you human,"

"_I don't particularly care for you either you dumb innovator," _Shinead said

"You have a lot of nerve calling me that human," Hilling said

"_Why?" _Shinead asked, _"Every time you try to hit me I dodge and you fall on you face."_

"Then we should try settling things in a mobile suit," Hilling said, "What are you going to do then?"

"_Deactivate your suit's connection to Veda and watch you fall on your ass," _Shinead said, _"No matter what you do I'll always win."_

"You two girls can continue your argument after you explain yourselves."

"Ribbons!" Hilling cried. "You're back! I'm sorry Ribbons, the human got past me. Please don't be too hard on me."

Ribbons ignored the pleading innovator and walked to the communicator, "Open the door and let Hilling and I in," He said calmly,

"_Alright," _Shinead said as she opened the door, "Be quiet please. He's asleep and seems to be having a difficult time doing so, so please keep your voices down."

"Just what exactly do you think you're doing?" Ribbons asked

"Taking care of Tieria-san," Shinead said, "You told me if I was able to get into this room you would allow me to take care of him."

"So I did," Ribbons said, "And I will uphold my part of the bargain."

"What?!" Hilling exclaimed causing Tieria to stir, "Ribbons!"

"Keep your voices down," Shinead said as she pressed a damp cloth to Tieria's forehead

"I will uphold my end of the bargain," Ribbons said, "It's only fair."

Shinead smiled but sighed at the same time, //He's planning something// She thought, //And I don't like it//

_

* * *

_

He woke to a reddish glow shining just beyond his eyelids. It was a glow he was familiar with but one he hadn't seen in years. "Veda!" He opened his eyes to the warm and inviting red glow of the terminal. He smiled he was finally back where he belonged, "I'm back."

_Then before he could link up again there was a beeping that had brought him fear five years earlier._

"_Veda what's wrong?" He asked, "Tell me what's wrong?"_

"Corrupted data detected." _A monotone female voice said _

"_Corrupted data?" He asked, "Tell me where it is and I'll get rid of it."_

"Corrupted data located and isolated." _The voice said again. _

_Then before he could do anything shackles wrapped around his ankles and wrists, "Veda," He gasped, "What…what are you doing?"_

"Data isolated," _The woman said, _"Deleting corrupted data."

"_What's going on…?" He said as he began feeling fatigued and lightheaded. Then he began losing feeling in his arms and legs. He snapped out of his groggy state and looked down, "No…! Veda what are you doing?" His arms and legs had pixilated and were now vanishing. "Stop it…please Veda…" Within minutes his torso was beginning to vanish and he was getting more and more sluggish and groggy. _

_Finally when only his head and half his torso remained another person entered the terminal, "I have wanted to see you in this situation for a very long time Tieria Erde."_

"_Ribbons…Alamark…" Tieria gasped as he struggled to keep his eyes open, "Why…?"_

"_Because you have something that I should have," Ribbons said, "And when you're dead I'll take what rightfully belongs to me."_

"_What…would that…be…?" Tieria asked_

"_Your position as a Gundam Meister," Ribbons said. "That position was supposed to go to me, but they seemed to favor you more." Tieria gasped but could not find the energy to talk, "How does it feel, Tieria? To know that you're dying and there is nothing you can do to stop it?"_

"_Celestial…Being…is never…going to…hire you…" He said, "They know…what you…are…" _

"_Oh but they already have," Ribbons said, "In fact they told me to kill you. They're watching right now, Tieria."_

"_No…no…it…can't…be…"_

"He's right_," Setsuna's voice came,_

"When Ribbons told us what you really were, we had to think of someway to get rid of you," _Allelujah said, _"And he came up with the perfect plan."

"_No…"He gasped, "Setsuna…Allelujah…stop this…"_

"Why would we?" _Lyle called, _"This is what Veda told us to do."

"_Stop this" He said as loudly as he could_

"There is no way to stop it," _Sumeragi said, _"You wouldn't live long in that condition anyways. This is the best thing for you now. You're feeling no pain, you're surrounded by people you care about and you're in a place where you're the most comfortable. What more could you ask for?"

"You're dying the perfect death, it's much better than how I went."

"_Neil…" Tieria gasped, "You too…"_

"You have it much better than I had it," _Neil said, _"I was in severe pain, out in the cold, unforgiving silence of space, and completely alone when I died."

"_Neil…tell…them…tell them…to stop…this…"_

"I can't," _Neil said, _"You'll die whether they stop breaking down your body or not. You can't live with only half of your vital organs, Tieria. Just calm down and relax, it will be over in just a few minutes."

"_You…bastard…" Tieria gasped as his body began disintegrating again, "My…comrades…would never…turn…on me…"_

"_Ah, the joys of being naïve," Ribbons said, "It seems that one of your comrades has a thing against innovators. I merely told them what you were."_

"He's not like you," _Lyle said, _"You filthy innovator. Hurry up and finish dying already."

"_Neil…stop…this…"_

"Shh, don't talk anymore" _Neil said, _"It's almost over, I promise."

_He couldn't breathe anymore, his eyesight was growing dim, //No, I don't want to die yet…// he thought as what was left of his body began shutting down, //This can't be real…it just can't…//_

"Good bye Tieria Erde."

"_Stop it!"_

* * *

"Stop it!" Tieria screamed just as Ribbons and Hilling were about to leave his room.

"Tieria-san!" Shinead called, "What's wrong?"

"No…stop it…please…" Tieria moaned

"Tieria-san," Shinead said, "Please tell me what's wrong."

"Heh," Hilling snickered, "What a baby, afraid of a nightmare."

"Come on Hilling," Ribbons said, "Let's leave them alone for a while so we can talk in private."

"Tieria-san," Shinead said as she pressed a damp cool cloth to his forehead, "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"No…no…please…minna…" Tieria gasped, "Stop it…"

Shinead sighed and ran her fingers through the boy's purple hair, "Tieria-san," She said softly. //He's not awake// she thought, //He's trapped in his dream// She took the cloth off of Tieria's forehead and placed it in a bowl of cold water, "Forgive me Tieria-san." She then rung the cloth out over Tieria's face causing his empty garnet eyes to open.

"Shinead…" Tieria murmured, "What…happened…?"

"You were having a nightmare," She said, "Are you alright?"

Before Tieria could answer his eyes shut and he lost consciousness again.

"I'll take that as a no," Shinead said as she replaced the cloth to Tieria's forehead.

* * *

Regene woke with a start at the same time his twin did. Unlike Tieria though, Regene did not have a nightmare. //Tieria, what's wrong?// He thought hoping to get a response but nothing came back.

"Are you alright?" A calm voice asked

Regene was startled by the voice and looked over at the door, "Sumeragi…"

"I'm sorry," She said, "I just happen to walk by when you screamed like that and I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"It was just a nightmare," Regene said,

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sumeragi asked as she sat down on the side of the bed.

"No," Regene said

Sumeragi sighed, "You've been acting differently since you came back from Ireland," She said, "Did anything happen there?"

"No," Regene said. For some reason he could feel tears welling up in his eyes, "It's just the same."

"I understand," Sumeragi said as she put her hand on Regene's shoulder, "Losing a person you deeply care about is hard. You can talk to me about anything you need to Tieria, don't be afraid."

Regene sighed; he almost wanted to tell Sumeragi about everything. "I know," He said as tears fell from his eyes. Why was he crying? "Thank you."

"Do you need anything?' Sumeragi asked

"No," Regene said as he dried his eyes, "I'm alright now."

"Are you sure?" Sumeragi asked, "You still look awfully upset."

"I just want to get back to sleep," Regene said

"Alright," Sumeragi said, "Sleep well, Tieria."

* * *

"Ribbons what was that all about?" Hilling whined, "Why are you going to let that human take care of Tieria?"

"I want to use her to get the information I want," Ribbons said, "Tieria seems to trust her quite a bit. So maybe he'll digress the information to her then we can beat it out of her."

"Good plan, but I can't see it working."

"Revive," Hilling called, "You're back.

"Even if Tieria Erde does tell the human, she's not going to tell us," Revive said, "She'll just hold it over our heads. Plus, I don't think she would agree to do our dirty work."

"She does like being cryptic," Hilling said, "She wouldn't tell me how she got into that room."

"If we want that information," Revive said, "We're going to have to get it directly from Tieria."

"We'll try things my way first," Ribbons said, "And if it doesn't work then we can use her as leverage. If Tieria Erde doesn't tell us how the twin drive works, we torture and kill the human."

* * *

Well there it is chapter three. I seem to like the little skirmishes between Shinead and Hilling they're fun to write. So do you think the plan that Ribbons cooked up will work? Let me know what you think of it.

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	4. Plans Gone Awry

Konnichiwa minna-san! I'm back! Sorry about the wait, for summer vacation I've been pretty busy. I don't have much to say about this chapter so I'll let you get started right after the disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or its characters. I own Shinead and the plot.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Four: Plans Gone Awry

Shinead sighed as she placed a cool cloth on Tieria's forehead. Since he had awoken from that violent nightmare he had had about eighteen hours earlier he had shown no signs of waking. In the past two days, his skin had gotten a bit more ashen and slightly warmer. //He's starting to run a fever// She thought, //He's dehydrated…I need to try to get him to eat something// At that moment the door opened and Ribbons entered the room.

"How is he?" Ribbons asked

"He's still asleep," Shinead said

"Can you wake him up?" Ribbons asked, "I need to discus something with him."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that," She said, "I've been trying to get him to wake up for a while now."

"Well when he wakes, will you let me know?" Ribbons asked

"If he feels like talking," Shinead said, "He's running a slight fever right now, so I'll see how he's feeling when he wakes."

"I don't care," Ribbons said, "When he wakes I _will _talk with him." He then walked out of room.

Shinead sighed and went back to trying to lower Tieria's slight fever.

* * *

Ribbons walked into the main lounge area of his base. //_Hilling, Revive, Louise_// He said telepathically, //_The three of you have a mission. I want you to ambush Celestial Being but I want you to try to take down Regene. He's piloting the largest Gundam//_ He then smiled as he checked on Regene. //_Regene's not feeling very well today so I expect a quick operation. He's got little experience with mobile suits os overwhelm him. Now get to work!// _He then smiled more as he got three positive responses.

//If I can get rid of Regene then Tieria Erde is mine and Celestial Being will never know// Ribbons thought //But then…there's that human. She may put a huge damper in my plan. I'll have to get her out of the picture somehow//

* * *

Regene woke up feeling awful. He wasn't sure if it was the fact that he had woken up in the middle of the night then couldn't fall back to sleep or if had something to do with Tieria's condition. He sat up and his head spun, //What's wrong with me?// he thought. Then before he could think up a reason as to why he felt so sick there was a knock at the door.

"Tieria," Sumeragi called from the other side of the door, "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," Regene said as he massaged his head a bit trying to get the pain to subside.

The door opened and the brunette walked into the room, "Tieria are you really alright?" She asked, "It's nearly midday and it looks like you've just woken up, you never sleep in this late."

"I can't say I'm feeling very well," Regene said

Sumeragi walked up to the bed and placed her hand on the boy's forehead, "You're a little warm," She said, "Do you need anything?"

"No," Regene said, "I'll be alright."

"I'm worried about you Tieria," She said, "You haven't been yourself since you came back from Ireland and now you've got a fever. You're pushing yourself too hard, Tieria."

"It was raining in Ireland," Regene said, "I didn't have an umbrella."

Sumeragi nodded, "You've caught a cold," She said, "You need to take care of yourself, Tieria stay in bed today."

"Sumeragi," Regene said, "I'm…I'm not…"

"What is it Tieria?" Sumeragi asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm not…" Regene stuttered. He was about to tell this woman that he was not the person he appeared to be but then Ribbons' warning resounded in his head //_Should you act on your own accord, Tieria Erde will be disposed of_//

"Tieria what's wrong?" Sumeragi asked

"Forget it," Regene said, "It's nothing. I'm going to sleep a bit more."

"Okay," Sumeragi said, "Let me know how you're feeling later." She then turned to the door and left.

Regene nodded and rested back against the pillow. //Shinead// He thought

//_What is it Regene// _She answered

//This is going to sound weird, but is Tieria running a fever?//

//_Yeah he is,_// Shinead answered, //_Why are you asking?//_

//I'm also running a slight fever// Regene said

//_That's odd_// Shinead thought, //_I can't talk for much longer Tieria appears to be waking. But be careful, Ribbons has something up his sleeve_//

//I figured he did// Regene responded, //Thank you Shinead//

//_You're welcome_// She said //_Take care_//

Regene then shut his eyes and drifted to sleep.

* * *

Shinead sighed, //The two of them are connected// she thought, //But I didn't think that if one of them was sick then the other would be sick as well. It's really strange that the two of them are running fevers. I don't know if Tieria's ever been sick before but I know that Regene hasn't. What's going on here?//

"Shinead," A soft voice said

"You're awake," She said as she turned to Tieria, "How are you feeling?" Tieria didn't answer, he just shut his eyes, "You can't fall back to sleep yet," She said, "I need you to drink something. You're very dehydrated at the moment." She handed him a small liquid filled pouch, "Don't worry, I got it from the provisions that Regene left for you."

Tieria took the pouch without a word. He knew what the contents of the pouch were used for and he had used it once before. He had been forced to use it after the mission where Lockon had been injured. After they had recovered his immobile Gundam and he had seen the condition Lockon was in, he had gotten violently ill. He remembered that after the fourth or fifth time he had gotten sick, Sumeragi practically forced the stuff down his throat. Then she made sure that he consumed at least one every half an hour for about four hours.

"Ah I see you're finally awake," Ribbons said as he walked in, "I need to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" Tieria asked softly as he propped himself up a bit

"I am going to give you one more chance to tell me how the GN-Drivers work," Ribbons said, "And if you refuse I am going to take this human's life. Now tell me how do the GN-Drives work?"

"I don't know," Tieria said, "It's like I said before. It's classified information that wasn't shared with the Meisters."

"I see," Ribbons said "How about the twin drive system and the O-raiser? You were the only Meister still working with Celestial Being when it was developed. You must have some knowledge as to how it works."

"The Gundams we have now were developed before we started conducting the first round of interventions five years ago," Tieria said, "And they were complete before Operation Fallen Angels." He paused a bit, he was starting to get tired, "We don't even know everything that the 00-Raiser is capable of."

"Alright then," Ribbons said.

Tieria shut his eyes and hoped that the information he had provided would be enough to save Shinead but his eyes snapped open as the girl screamed. "Shinead!" He cried.

"Dammit you bastard!" Shinead gasped as Ribbons held her against a wall with his hands around her neck, "Let go of me!"

"Tieria didn't uphold his end of the bargain," Ribbons said, "So now unfortunately I am forced to kill you."

"No!" Tieria called wishing that he did know how the GN-Drives worked.

"Shut up!" Ribbons yelled as he took one of his hands off of Shinead's neck to slap Tieria across the face.

"You shouldn't have done that," Shinead said as she was able to free herself from Ribbons' hold.

"You little bitch!" Ribbons yelled as he tried to pin Shinead again with no success, "I guess you leave me with no choice." He then pulled a gun on the blue haired girl. "I was hoping that I wouldn't have to resort to using this but it looks like I might just have to."

"Shinead," Tieria muttered as tears fell from his eyes, "I'm sorry."

"No," Shinead said, "I'm sorry."

Then before Ribbons could shoot and Tieria could question Shinead's spontaneous apology there was a high pitched ringing noise that caused an intense pain to shoot through their heads.

"What…what is this…?" Ribbons asked as he dropped the gun he had been holding.

Shinead placed her hand on Tieria's forehead and his body relaxed as he lost consciousness. She then walked up to Ribbons picked the gun up off the floor and walked back to the bed.

"What the hell was that?" Ribbons yelled as the ringing in his ears stopped.

"That is what happens when you mess with me," Shinead said as she pointed the gun at its owner.

"Where did you get that?" Ribbons yelled as he saw the gun in Shinead's hand.

"I took it when you dropped it," Shinead said, "Now I want you to leave, and if you don't I will shoot you."

"Fine," Ribbons spat. He didn't have any other choice in the matter he was being held at gunpoint. "But I will get the information I need out of him even if I have to kill him."

"You will do no such thing," Shinead said as she placed the gun on the bedside table, "Not while I'm around."

* * *

Regene woke to the alarms blaring. He was feeling a bit better but still had a pretty bad headache. He got up and walked to the communicator, "Sumeragi what's going on?"

"Tieria," Sumeragi said, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling a bit better," Regene said, "Now, what's going on?"

"We're under attack," Sumeragi said, "Archer Arios and Cherudim have launched and the Double-0 is on stand-by."

"What is the target?" Regene asked

"A Custom Ahead and two Innovator units," Sumeragi said

"I'm launching," Regene said

"Tieria, you need to rest a bit," Sumeragi said, "You seem to have come down with a cold."

"Allelujah and Lockon can't take them on alone," Regene said, "Please, let me launch."

Sumeragi sighed, "Alright," She said, "But please, don't overdo it Tieria."

"Don't worry I won't." Regene said as he got ready to sortie.

* * *

//Ribbons// Hilling though as she searched the battle field for any sign of the Seravee, //Regene hasn't launched yet//

//_What?// _Ribbons asked,

//What do you want me to do?// Hilling said, //Only two of them have launched//

//_Take them out_// Ribbons said, //_And when you do, destroy the ship_//

//I understand// Hilling said as she went after the Cherudim.

* * *

"Dammit," Lyle thought as he tried to avoid the shots of the light green mobile suit that was pursuing him, "Tieria sure chose a great time to get sick. Haro activate the shield bits."

"Ryokai, Ryokai," the small robot responded

"Ugh I can't shake this guy," He complained as the enemy destroyed a few of the shield bits, "How is Allelujah fairing?"

"Two more shield bits gone, two more shield bits gone," Haro chirped

"Dammit," Lyle swore again "Come on Ms. Sumeragi launch the Double-0 already."

* * *

Allelujah and Soma weren't doing any better than Lockon was. The only difference was they were being pursued by two mobile suits instead of one.

"This isn't good," Allelujah said, "Were just about outmatched. Setsuna's our reserve and Tieria's not feeling well. Marie be careful."

"My name is Soma!" She called as she tried to attack the Custom Ahead that had once belonged to her. "Where's your mobile armor?" she called to Louise

"Alamark felt as though it wouldn't be necessary for this mission," Louise answered back, "He knows one of your pilots isn't at his best."

"What?" Allelujah asked as he tried to shake the mobile suit chasing him, "How?"

"Oh didn't you know?" Revive interjected as he chased the Arios, "Tieria Erde is one of us!"

"That's…that's not true," Allelujah stuttered as he finally broke away from the Gadessa, "Tieria…Tieria would never side with you bastards!"

"How can you be so sure?" Revive asked, "For an Innovator, his mind is weak."

"You're lying!" Allelujah yelled as he began shooting at the green mobile suit in front of him

"How I wish I could say I was," Revive said as he too began shooting.

//This is bad// Allelujah thought as his Gundam began taking damage, //We're outmatched…without the Seravee and the Double-0 there's no way we can win//

Revive was just about to deliver the final blow and destroy the Arios when he took a powerful shot from behind.

"What the-" Revive gasped as he was forced to eject due to the amount of damage his suit had taken.

"Was that…the Double-0?" Allelujah asked as he looked towards the direction the shot had come from, "What…the Seravee!? But I thought Tieria was feeling sick…what is he doing here!?"

"_Allelujah, are you alright?"_

"Yeah," He answered, "But what are you doing? I thought you weren't feeling well."

"_I'll be alright" _He said,"_Setsuna's about to launch as well._"

"Alright," Allelujah said, "Just be careful."

* * *

"Heh," Hilling scoffed as she noticed that the Seravee Gundam had joined the fight, "So you finally show yourself Regene. It's about damn time." She then gave up pursuing the Cherudim and went after the Seravee. "Revive let's go!" She called but she quickly realized that Revive had already been defeated. "Louise, concentrate on the larger mobile suit."

"_Ryokai,_" Louise answered as she abandoned the GN-Archer and also went after the Seravee

* * *

"Sumeragi," Allelujah called, "They're only going after Tieria!"

"_What!?" _Sumeragi gasped, "_Dammit, Tieria shouldn't even be fighting today. I'm launching Setsuna. For now try to distract them."_

"Ryokai," Allelujah called as he started shooting at the two mobile suits that were pursuing the Seravee, "Get away from him!"

"_No,_" Hilling called,"_He's our only target today._"

"Dammit," Allelujah swore as his attempts to aid Tieria weren't working

Regene was in over his head. He had little experience with mobile suits and he had two ace pilots attacking him. //What was I thinking?// He thought as he was unable to block the shots from the Gadessa and the Ahead Smultron. The more shots the Seravee took the dizzier he became //I can't do this. Damn you Ribbons…Tieria…I'm sorry…// Then just as the Seravee was about to hit its limit the attack stopped, //What…happened…?// Regene thought as he tried to keep his falling eyelids open.

"_Tieria_," A panicked voice called over the communications line, "_Tieria, are you alright…Tieria! Come in, Tieria! Tieria Erde!"_

* * *

"_Tieria…"_

//I know that voice…who is it…?//

"_Come on Tieria, talk with me."_

"Neil…" Tieria said as he opened his eyes and saw the man

"_Hey it's about time," The apparition said, "I've been waiting awhile for you."_

"Neil I'm sorry, I let myself get captured."

"_Hey don't worry about it," The man said, "The important thing is that you're still alive. But listen to me you mustn't give up any of our secrets, regardless of what they do. You've got a powerful ally there and another with 'Tolemy and they're trying their best to get you out of there so just hang tough for a few more days."_

"Stay with me," _Tieria cried, _"Please, don't go."

"_I can't," Neil said sadly, "Stay strong for a few more days Tieria. I promise you'll make it back to Celestial Being soon. Take care Tieria."_

"No…Neil…" _Tieria gasped as the vision he had in this dreamscape place began to dim, _"Stay…don't leave…"

"_Good bye Tieria."_

"Neil!"

* * *

Shinead sighed as she sponged Tieria's forehead. A few hours ago his temperature had fallen a bit but now at nearly midnight his fever was back up. //This is more than dehydration// She thought, //He's got a cold. I remember that dumb innovator complaining about the rain when they returned. He must not have dried off properly//

"Neil…" Tieria moaned in his sleep.

//I see the effects of my powers finally wore off// She thought, //He's only asleep now. I really hope my plan to get him out of here works otherwise, he'll be in real trouble.// She sighed "Please Tieria, hold out for a few more days. I'll get you out of here soon, I promise."

* * *

Chapter four is done! So far all of Ribbons' plans have been completely unsuccessful but knowing him, he's got something else up his sleeve. And Now Shinead's planning something, let's just hope that she's more successful than Ribbons has been. Poor Regene he's in way over his head with this whole situation. Well let me know what you thought and I'll try to update faster. Until next time!

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	5. The Truth Comes Out

Konnichiwa minna-san! I'm back and it didn't take me very long to update this time. As much as I hate to say this, this story is nearly complete. It's only got maybe five (at the very most) chapters left. How sad. Alritghty, then aside from that I've got nothing more to say so after the damn Disclaimer you can get started.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or its characters. I own Shinead and the plot. Veda just let me borrow everything else for this story.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Five: The Truth Comes Out

Sumeragi was worried. //What's wrong with Tieria?// She thought, //He was overpowered so quickly. I've never seen him pilot that badly before. Even though he is sick, he should have done better in that fight//

"Sumeragi-san!" Mileina called in a panic, "Both Seravee and Seraphim have suffered considerable damage and there's no response from Erde-san!"

"What?" Sumeragi gasped.

"We've been calling Tieria for a few minutes now and he hasn't responded back," Feldt said,

"Is there something wrong with the communications line?" Sumeragi asked, hoping that that was the case here.

"No," Feldt said, "It's showing that there are no errors with the Seravee's communication system."

"Allelujah, Lockon, Setsuna," Sumeragi cried over the communications line, "I want the three of you to recover the Seravee now!"

"_Sumeragi-san Tieria's not responding_," Allelujah called.

"I know," Sumeragi said, "That's why I want the three of you to hurry up and get him!"

"_Ryokai_," Allelujah said.

"Feldt, run down to the medical bay and get a cold compress," Sumeragi said, "Mileina go down to the hangar and start the repairs to the Seravee and Seraphim! Lasse, oversee the docking of the four Gundams."

"Ryokai!" The three answered as Sumeragi and Mileina headed to the hangar while Feldt ran to the Medical bay.

//Dammit// Sumeragi thought as she bit her lip, //Why did I let him sortie. I should have said no. What was I thinking letting Tieria sortie in his condition?// Then something in her mind clicked, //Tieria's been acting a bit more distant than usual. It's not like him to go three or so days without interacting with the rest of us. What's wrong with him?//

"Sumeragi-san," Allelujah called as she entered the hangar.

"What's the situation?" She asked as she floated up to the Seravee Gundam

"Tieria's unconscious," Allelujah said, "Setsuna and Saji are getting him now."

"Good," Sumeragi said.

"Not that it's my business," Allelujah said, "But why did you send Tieria out today?"

"He was worried about you and Lockon," Sumeragi said, "I shouldn't have agreed to let him sortie."

"We would have been in major trouble if you didn't," Allelujah said, "If Tieria didn't show up when he did, I probably wouldn't be here right now."

"Sumeragi," Setsuna said as he floated up to her with the unconscious pilot, "Do you want me to bring him to the medical bay or his room?"

"Bring him to his room," Sumeragi said, "He'll be more comfortable there."

* * *

Feldt stood outside Tieria's room, //I hope Regene's okay// She thought, //Sumeragi said that he wasn't feeling well and he was completely overpowered out there//

"Feldt," Sumeragi called, "Open the door."

"Alright," Feldt said, "Is he okay?"

"His fever seems to be breaking," Sumeragi said as she entered the room and set the boy down on the bed, "He should be alright once his fever goes down."

"That's good," Feldt said, "I wonder if he's ever been sick before."

"You know he's been sick before," Sumeragi said, "But I want to know why he's been acting so odd lately."

Feldt and Setsuna looked at each other. They both knew the reason behind "Tieria's" distant manner. But both of them had been sworn to secrecy.

"I'm sure it's just a phase," Feldt said, "He's probably still thinking about what happened five years ago."

"It might be," Sumeragi said, "But I don't think that's the case here. It's almost as if he's switched places with a person who looks just like him but acts differently."

* * *

Ribbons was smiling lightly to himself. He was listening to the conversation through Regene.

"So," He said to no one in particular, "I see Setsuna F. Seiei and Feldt Grace have already figured it out and Sumeragi Li Noriega is on to something. I expect nothing less from the three of them. But let's see if Regene has the courage to tell Sumeragi that he's not who he appears to be and let's see what Sumeragi does about it."

"What are you going to do if she kills him?" Hilling asked.

"Nothing," Ribbons said, "Regene is worthless anyways. It will be one less person I'll have to kill later."

"But what happens when Celestial Being comes looking for their missing pilot?" Revive asked, "Have you figured that one out yet?"

"Of course I have," Ribbons said, "We use him as leverage or kill him. Either they give us the 00-Raiser or we kill Tieria Erde. It's a win-win situation for us."

* * *

Regene did not like the situation he was in. He had come around but he had yet to open his eyes. //Sumeragi is on to me// He thought, //What am I going to do? If she finds out Ribbons will kill Tieria and Sumeragi might kill me//

//_Sumeragi is not going to kill you_// Tieria's voice sounded in his head.

Regene was so taken off guard that he nearly yelled his twin's name out loud, //Tieria! Are you alright?//

//_I wish I could say I was// _Tieria said, //_But that's beside the point, tell Sumeragi who you are//_

//But if I do, Ribbons will kill you// Regene thought, //I don't want that to happen for some reason//

//_Ribbons is not going to kill me_// Tieria said, //_I've figured out how the telepathy works and killing me seems to be his last resort. Plus Shinead is not about to let Ribbons get his way//_

//Tieria you shouldn't eavesdrop on Ribbons// Regene thought, //If he finds out he won't hesitate to kill you//

_//Ribbons can't seem to get into my head// _Tieria said, _//He's tried on several different occasions to do so but he hasn't been able to yet. Please work with Sumeragi to get me out of here//_

//Tieria, how am I going to prove that you're alive?// Regene asked

_//I still have my communicator on me// _Tieria said, _//I'll call them the next time I wake, if I'm feeling up to it//_

//You're not awake?//

_//No, I'm not. But for some reason I was able to hear your thoughts and the conversation that Ribbons was having with Hilling and Revive// _Tieria said, //_Please, take care and help get me out of here//_

//I'll try Tieria// Regene responded just as Tieria went silent. //He barely knows me but he still has a lot of faith in me. Why is he so trusting? I could get him killed for this, but then again he does have Shinead there. I guess I should trust him// He then opened his eyes and came face to face with Sumeragi.

"Tieria," She said with a smile, "What happened out there? Are you alright?"

"Sumeragi there's something I need to tell you," Regene said, "I'm not who I appear to be."

"What are you talking about?" Sumeragi asked, "Tieria if this is about you being an innovator, we've already gone over it and it's okay."

"It's not that," Regene said. He sighed, "I am not Tieria Erde."

"What?" Sumeragi asked.

"My name is Regene Regetta," he said as he removed the device in his mouth that was mimicking Tieria's voice and ruffled up his hair, "I am Tieria Erde's genetic twin."

"If you're not Tieria," Sumeragi said, "Then where is he and why are you here?"

"Tieria has been captured by Ribbons Alamark," Regene said, "And I was sent here to take his place."

"Tieria was…captured?" Sumeragi asked, "When? The only time he left was…oh no, no...no…no please tell me…Not when he went to Ireland."

"Yeah," Regene said softly, "That's exactly when they got him."

"No, Tieria," Sumeragi gasped, "Why of all days, did it have to be then?"

"Ribbons saw it as an opportune time to get him," Regene said.

"Is he alright?" Sumeragi asked,

"He's alive," Regene said, "But he's not in good shape."

"Oh God," Sumeragi gasped as she put her hand to her mouth, "Are you sure he's alive?"

"He was able to contact me through quantum brainwaves," Regene said, "He told me to tell you the truth."

"How are we going to get him out of there if we don't know where he is?" Sumeragi asked.

"I've got someone on that," Regene said, "Ribbons has been holding a human girl hostage for several months now. Despite being only human, she has almost complete control over Veda. She's caring for Tieria now and she is planning on getting him out of Ribbons' grasps in a day or two."

Sumeragi nodded. She was still mortified that Tieria had been missing for a few days now and because of Regene taking his place, she hadn't even noticed his absence. "I thank you for telling me the truth," She said as she walked towards the door, "Let me know if you hear anything else regarding Tieria."

"Regene-san," Feldt said, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Regene said,

Feldt nodded, "We'll let you sleep then."

Regene nodded then shut his eyes, //Tieria// He thought, //I told Sumeragi//

//_Thank you// _Tieria said, //_Please, get me out of here for Sumeragi's sake and for my own as well//_

//I'll try Tieria// Regene said just before falling asleep.

* * *

Ribbons was thoroughly annoyed. Despite the fact that Regene was a trespasser on her ship, Sumeragi had not punished Regene at all. And to top it all off, he now knew that the human was planning on helping Tieria escape. //I have to do something about this// he thought, //Things aren't going the way I planned them to// Then he heard a voice in his head that he was very happy to hear.

//_Please,__ get me out of here for Sumeragi's sake and for my own as well_//

"Tieria Erde," Ribbons said with a malicious smile, "It looks like I can finally get into your head. I looks like things are finally going as planned."

* * *

Shinead sighed. Tieria's condition was getting worse. He wasn't in life threatening condition but it wasn't good. Lately he seemed to be spending less and less time awake. She knew that it was probably normal with the fever he was running and the broken leg but she was still worried. She wiped the sweat off of Tieria forehead, placed the cloth back into the bowl of ice water she had then returned it to the boy's head.

//I might have to put my plan in motion tomorrow// She thought, //He's just too sick for me to wait another three days// Then the sound of shifting bed covers caused her to look up. "Tieria-san," She greeted, "You're awake." He looked over at her and she immediately realized that something was very wrong. "Tieria-san…your eyes…"

Instead of being their normal garnet hue, Tieria's eyes were a yellow-orange color.

"Pathetic," He said,

"Excuse me?" Shinead said.

"It seems as though this pathetic excuse for an innovator truly does not know how the Double-0 Raiser works," He said, "I no longer have any use for him." Tieria then reached for the gun that was sitting on the bedside table, "I will dispose of him now."

"NO!" Shinead yelled, "YOU BASTARD!"

* * *

Something was wrong. Tieria could feel it. His body was numb yet his head was pounding. Then he felt his mouth move but the words were not his.

//_Pathetic...it seems as though this pathetic excuse for an innovator truly does not know how the Double-0 Raiser works_// His voice said, //_I no longer have any use for him_// Then he felt his arm move and his hand closed around something that felt like the handle of a gun, //_I will dispose of him now_// He felt his arm move again and some thing was pressed against his forehead.

"_NO, YOU BASTARD!"_

//_He's no longer useful_//

"_So you're going to have him kill himself?"_

_//No, _I _am the one controlling his body right now so _I_ am going to be the one to kill him//_

Tieria felt the gun cock in his hand //Ribbons is about to kill me with my own hand// he thought as he tried to will his arm to drop the gun but nothing happened. //And I can't do anything to stop it. What's going to happen if I'm killed? I'm the only one who can reclaim Veda...//

Then just before his finger pulled the trigger he felt another person's weight slam into his chest and the cold metal pressed against his forehead was roughly forced away. And it was a gunshot and a sharp pain in his wrist that brought him back to focus.

* * *

Several hours later Regene woke suddenly, his head swimming and his body covered in sweat.

"Are you alright?" Sumeragi asked as he steadied Regene.

"I think…Tieria's in…some kind…of trouble," He gasped.

"What do you mean?" Sumeragi asked.

"I think…Ribbons found…a way to…control him…" Regene panted. He felt absolutely awful. His head was pounding, his stomach felt sick and it felt as though he was on fire. He grabbed his head and moaned, "I've…been checking…in on him…and…right now…I can't…reach him" He curled up and continued holding his head, "What is this?"

Sumeragi sighed and smiled lightly, "Your fever is breaking," She said as she placed her hand on Regene's forehead. "Tieria was the same way the first time he got sick. Try to calm down and sleep. You should feel better tomorrow."

Regene nodded and relaxed a bit. "I really hope…that Tieria's still alive."

"Tieria's a lot stronger than you may think he is," Sumeragi said, "He'll be alright."

"But his condition," Regene said.

"It doesn't matter," Sumeragi said, "Tieria will make it back alive."

* * *

Ribbons was seething. Not only did Tieria know nothing about the Double-0 Raiser's abilities, he had failed to shoot himself in the head. Then there was that girl. Ribbons knew that getting rid of her was not going to be easy. She was always there, caring for Tieria. Since she had broken in to that room she had not left Tieria's side.

"I see your latest plan failed Ribbons," Revive said.

"Shut up!" Ribbons yelled as he slapped Revive across the face.

"You should have captured the pilot or the engineer of the twin drive Gundam," Revive said, "Not the test pilot that failed to get the Gundam running. What made you think that Tieria Erde would have any information on it?"

"He was the only one still working for Celestial Being during the four years they were rebuilding," Ribbons said, "He must know something."

"It's apparent that he knows nothing," Revive said, "You really should have thought this out more thoroughly."

"Your plan didn't work much better," Ribbons said.

"At least I managed to pilot the GN-Raiser," Revive said, "And I did manage to steal some vital information."

"However we lost the Innovator who knew the most about Celestial Being," Ribbons said, "And the information you gathered was useless."

"If I was in your position, I would give up." Revive said, "It's a lost cause Ribbons."

"I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO IN THAT MANNER!" Ribbons roared as he grabbed Revive by the collar of his uniform. He dropped his voice to almost a whisper, "I am superior to you," he said, "Know your place."

"I am sorry," Revive said as he swatted Ribbons' hand away from his neck, "I will take my leave now."

As Revive went to leave the room Ribbons went to reach for his gun until he realized that he no longer had his gun.

"Consider yourself lucky, Revive," Ribbons muttered to himself, "If the damn human didn't have my gun, I would have shot you."

* * *

Oh wow…a lot happened there didn't it? Tieria figured out how to use his quantum brainwaves to communicate, Regene told Sumeragi who he really is, yet another "Ribbons Plan" sank the failboat and Revive would have been killed if Shinead wasn't holding on to Ribbons' gun for safe keeping. Speaking of Tieria and Shinead, how are they fairing, the gun went off, what did it hit…? Until next time Minna-san!

Oh I forgot to mention, I go back to college on Monday so I don't know when my next update will be. So don't panic if it takes a little longer than usual.

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	6. Plans to Break Out

Konnichiwa minna-san! So sorry about the wait, school started up again and it's been slowing me down a bit. But I'm back! I don't have much to say so after the disclaimer that you don't have to read, you can go ahead and start reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or its characters. I own Shinead and the plot. Veda just let me borrow everything else for this story.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Six: Plans to Break Out

Tieria came into focus and found that Shinead was lying on top his chest. At first he didn't remember why she was on top of him but then he remembered what Ribbons was about to have him do and he panicked. //Oh god...what have I done?//

"Shinead!" He cried fearing the worst, "Shinead, please respond! Shinead please!" He did a quick look over on the girl and found that she didn't appear to be injured. He breathed a sigh of relief when she started to move a bit.

"I'm sorry Tieria," She said as she pulled herself off of him, "Your arm."

Tieria looked down at his arm and before he could process anything, an intense stabbing pain affected his entire arm and he screamed.

"Calm down Tieria," She said as Tieria shuddered in pain, "You're too sick to be working yourself up so much." She sighed, "There was no other way," She said, "I had to break your arm…there was no other way I could keep you from shooting yourself or me in the head."

"That bastard…" Tieria said through clenched teeth, "that bastard…tried to kill both of us…with my hand…"

Shinead looked around the room for something she could use as a make-shift splint. Then she noticed that part of the closet door had been blasted away by the bullet. She walked over to it and grabbed a few pieces of the broken wood and found a spare set of bed sheets and started ripping them into strips.

"I hate to have to do this to you," Shinead said, "But I need to splint your arm." She held a piece of wood to Tieria's arm, "This is probably going to hurt. I need you to hold this here." She then took the other piece of wood and put it across the top of Tieria's arm. She then started tying the strips of fabric to the splint, "I'm sorry, you're in pain aren't you?"

"It's fine," Tieria lied as he gritted his teeth.

"I'm almost done," She said. She then secured the last piece of fabric to the splint, "I know it's probably very uncomfortable but you should probably try to get some sleep."

Tieria nodded and shut his eyes, "How much longer do I have to stay here?" He asked.

Shinead sighed, "I don't know," She said, "Not long I hope. You're getting worse and now Ribbons knows that he can control you. I'm going to try to get you out of here in the next twelve to twenty-four hours if I can manage."

"Please hurry," Tieria muttered as he struggled to keep his eyes open, "And keep the gun away from me…just in case…he does it again…"

Shinead sighed as Tieria lost consciousness due to the pain and fever. //I need to put my plan into action now// She thought, //He's not going to last much longer in this condition//

* * *

"What are you doing, Ribbons?" Hilling asked. She had watched Ribbons sit in deep thought for several minutes now.

"I'm thinking," Ribbons responded.

"That's obvious," Hilling said, "What are you thinking about?"

"A way to get rid of Tieria and that human girl," Ribbons said,

"I overhead her saying something like she needs to get Tieria out of here soon," Hilling said, "And you know she won't do it with you around. Tieria probably can't walk so she's probably going to carry him. You could pretend to go out then ambush them as they try to leave?"

"That's perfect Hilling," Ribbons said, "You're such a smart girl. We'll put our plan into action today. I'll pretend to go out and you are going to guard that room. Knowing that human she'll knock both you and Tieria Erde out using her ability. When she does that I'll let her get to the hangar then I will take control of Tieria Erde and have him strangle her to death. Then I will do what I see fit with Tieria Erde."

"I'm glad that I could help you Ribbons," Hilling said, "Do you want me to tell the human?"

"No," Ribbons said, "She has her own ways of finding things out."

* * *

The next day Regene woke up feeling much better. He was still rather tired but he was feeling better. He tried calling out to Tieria but did not get a response. Tieria had been rather quiet for the past few days and it worried Regene. It seemed that Tieria was almost always thinking about something. Regene didn't make listening in on his twin's thought a habit but he would do it every so often just to see what kind of person Tieria was because unlike the other Innovators, he and Tieria were not together when Veda woke them. Tieria had been "activated" quite a while before Regene had.

"Regene-san," Feldt called from the corridor, "May I come in?"

"Yeah," Regene said as he was pulled from his thoughts by the teenager.

"How are you feeling today?" She asked as she placed a small tray of food on the desk.

"I'm feeling much better," Regene said, "Thank you."

"Sumeragi-san wants you to take it easy today," she said, "She figured that you would still be a bit tired from being sick."

"I understand," Regene said, "Even if we were to get attacked today, Tieria's Gundam was damaged pretty badly, it's probably in no condition to head out today anyway."

"That's true," Feldt said, "But that happens a lot. Tieria can get a bit reckless when it comes to fighting."

"Really?" Regene asked, "I wouldn't have expected Tieria to be reckless."

"Yeah," Feldt said, "Tieria's not a reckless person at all but his fighting style is and because of it, he's one of our best pilots." She paused, "Speaking of Tieria…how is he doing?"

Regene sighed, "I haven't heard from him since yesterday," he said, "Don't worry, he's still alive, but he's not doing well."

Feldt sighed, "I hope he get out of there soon," She said, "I can't imagine how awful he must be feeling."

Regene sighed as he once again tried to reach Tieria but was unsuccessful. Regene was rather unnerved by Tieria's unusually silent mind. "Tieria thinks a lot, doesn't he?" He asked.

"I don't know, he's very quiet," Feldt said, "He prefers to keep to himself but he truly cares for everyone here. If another one of us had been captured, Tieria would be working overtime to ensure that we got back safely."

Regene sighed again, "I wish I could do more to get Tieria back." He said.

"You're trying your best," Feldt said, "I'm sure he'll get back soon."

* * *

Shinead sighed. Tieria had gotten worse over night and she was sure that the mind attack Tieria had suffered had been a major factor of that. She placed her hand on Tieria's forehead, //He's gotten much too warm// She thought, //I need to act now// She shut her eyes for a moment, //Good Ribbons isn't here// She gently shook Tieria's shoulders, "Tieria, wake up!" She called, "Tieria!" She bit her lip when he didn't respond. She took the cloth off of his forehead, dipped it in a bowl of cold water, then rung it out over his face. He stirred and opened his eyes, "I'm sorry I had to do that to you," She said, "But I'm going to get you out of here." Tieria nodded and sat up a bit, "Where's the pain medication?"

"In the gun holder on the back of my flight suit," Tieria said softly, "But I'm warning you, it makes me violently ill."

"We have time," Shinead said as she took the small syringe out of the gun holder and injected the contents into Tieria's leg. After a few minutes the medication to effect and Shinead carefully helped Tieria get to the washroom. Shinead sighed as Tieria leaned against the wall near the toilet clutching his stomach.

"Give me something to eat…" He muttered.

"Why?" Shinead asked.

"So I can throw it up," Tieria said.

"That's right," She said as she took a granola bar out of the gun holder, "Your stomach is empty…"

Tieria took the granola bar and almost as soon as he struggled to get it down, it came back up.

"Do you feel any better?" Shinead asked. Tieria shook his head and threw up again. Shinead sighed as she handed Tieria a glass of water and after a few more minutes Tieria was sick again. She placed a cold cloth on Tieria's forehead.

"Knock me out…" Tieria mumbled still clutching his stomach, "Please…"

Shinead nodded. She knew that Hilling was outside of the room and she need to get her out of the picture as well. She placed her hand on Tieria's forehead and his body went limp. Shinead then opened the door and dragged the unconscious female Innovator into the room, grabbed Tieria's helmet and carefully picked Tieria off of the washroom floor. She didn't bother with the mess that had been made, the Innovators could deal with it as punishment for what they had done. She hurried down the corridor her destination, the hangar.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Shinead froze, turned around, and came face to face with Ribbons. "I'm getting him out of here," She said, "You bastards are going to kill him if I don't."

"I think not," Ribbons said, "I'm not done with him yet. So be a good girls and bring him back to his room so I can deal with the two of you as I see fit."

"I can't do that," Shinead said, "You're going to kill him if he stays here any longer." She felt Tieria stirring on her back, "Tieria...what are you doing?"

"Put me down," Tieria said in a vacant voice.

"You can forget it," Shinead said, "There's no way in hell I'm putting you down!"

She then felt as Tieria's arms wrap tightly around her neck, "Ribbons…Alamark…this is the last straw…" She gasped as Tieria started to choke her, "If you don't release your hold on Tieria, I will crash that precious computer of yours."

She felt Tieria's grasp around her neck tighten, "I would like to see you try, you stupid human," Ribbons said through Tieria's mouth.

She closed her eyes, "I'm sorry Tieria," When she opened her eyes, Ribbons froze and Tieria's arms went slack.

"Shinead…" Tieria muttered.

"I'm sorry, Tieria," Shinead said, "Ribbons step aside!"

"No," Ribbons said as he drew a gun, "I will not let you get out of here alive."

"I said step aside!" Shinead said as Ribbons collapsed, "You should have never told me that your consciousness is directly linked to Veda." She stepped over the unconscious Innovator and entered the hangar. "I'm sorry Tieria, I had to bring you around. That bastard was having you choke me."

"How are we leaving?" Tieria murmured.

"That," She said as she pointed to Hilling's Gadessa, "I have a problem with that…_thing_ they try to pass off as a girl."

"How are you going to pilot that thing?" Tieria asked.

"Electro-magnetic frequencies," She said, "I can trick Veda into thinking that I'm Hilling. How is your stomach?"

"Not good," Tieria murmured

"Are you going to be sick again?" Shinead asked.

Tieria shook his head, "I'm sorry," He muttered, "I must be heavy for you."

"No," Shinead said as she opened the cockpit of the Gadessa, "Not really." She grabbed the line and entered the cockpit, "It might be a bit uncomfortable," She said, "Hilling Care taking off!"

* * *

"Sumeragi-san," Mileina said, "The E-sensor is picking up an enemy. We'll have visuals in six hundred."

"Put Arios and Cherudim on stand by," Sumeragi said. Hoping that whatever the E-sensor was picking up had Tieria.

Regene sighed as he helped pilot the Ptolemaios. He was still pretending to be Tieria. Only Sumeragi, Setsuna and Feldt knew about him and the other two Meisters were rather angry at the Innovators and he didn't want to take the brunt of their anger.

"Visual conformation of the enemy," Feldt said, "Giving control to Arios and Cherudim."

"_Ptolemaios crew and Gundam Meisters" _The pilot of the Gadessa called, _"Please hold your fire. I am not here to attack you" _There was a long pause, _"I have one of your pilots."_

* * *

So Shinead and Tieria both somehow managed to dodge the bullet (ha ha bad pun alert) granted Shinead had to break Tieria's arm in order to pull it off. But hey a broken arm is so much better then a bullet to the brain. No, this is NOT a Regene/Feldt shipped story it just kinda seems that way. But I can assure you that I while it is an interesting shipping, I wouldn't go that way with them. Ribbons failed again (no surprise there, I wasn't gonna let him win) and lastly how are Allelujah and Lyle going to react? Find out next time (hopefully) heh, heh just kidding :3. Until next time minna-san!

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	7. Understandings and Misunderstandings

Konnichiwa minna-san! I'm back! And I have some rather sad news, this is the second to last chapter of this story. Next chapter I tie up all of the loose ends and finish it. I know it's depressing for me as well. I only have one thing to say about this chapter, there is a flashback which is in italics. So enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or its characters. I own Shinead and the plot. Veda just let me borrow everything else for this story.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Seven:Understandings and Misunderstandings

"_Ptolemaios crew and Meisters," _A young pilot called, _"I am not here to attack you…I have one of your pilots."_

"What!?" Allelujah cried, "How is that possible!?" Then he remembered what Revive had told him. //_Tieria Erde is one of us_// "Wait…they don't have Tieria…do they?"

"_Allelujah,"_ Lockon called, _"What's wrong? Are you really falling for what the enemy told us?"_

"_It's true," _Sumeragi said softly, _"Tieria was captured by the enemy. Allelujah, Lockon, escort the mobile suit to the hangar then get Tieria to the medical bay immediately."_

Allelujah was in shock. Tieria seemed to be having a difficult time as it was before he had left for Ireland, this just made the situation he was in worse. //Why do these things always happen to him?// He sighed and contacted the pilot, "You have Tieria right?" he asked, "Is he alright?"

"_It's hard to say," _The young pilot responded, _"He's burning up and he has a broken arm and leg. He hasn't eaten anything since they captured him."_

Allelujah sighed. //Tieria has it hard enough// he thought, "Thank you," He said. "Sumeragi-san, we're entering the hangar." The two Gundams docked and flanked the Gadessa.

"_Open your cockpit with your hands up!" _Lockon called. _"Make sure Tieria Erde is where we can see him!"_

Allelujah watched as the cockpit opened and was shocked when a young teenaged girl with bright blue hair stepped out of the cockpit with her hands above her head. He could make out Tieria's form behind her. He quickly exited his cockpit and rushed over to the Gadessa, "Lockon, I've got him!" He called.

He floated up to the girl, "My name is Allelujah Haptism," He said, "Thank you for bringing our comrade back to us."

"You're welcome," The girl said, "My name is Shinead. He needs immediate medical attention."

Allelujah nodded and gently lifted Tieria's limp form out of the cockpit. "Sumeragi-san," He called, "I have Tieria, I'm bringing him to the medical bay."

* * *

Allelujah met Sumeragi, Feldt and the Tieria look-alike as he got to the medical room. "Who are you?" He asked sternly.

The purple haired boy sighed, "My name is Regene Regetta," he said, "I am Tieria Erde's genetic twin."

"Come on," Sumeragi said, "He needs medical treatment." She entered the sick bay followed by Allelujah, Shinead, and Regene. "Get him in one of the capsules, I'll take care of the rest."

Allelujah nodded as he set Tieria down on one of the beds and the capsule activated.

Sumeragi sighed as Tieria's stars came up on the monitor, //Fever, dehydration, broken arm and leg// she thought, //That means we won't be able to use regenerative methods just yet//

"Sumeragi-san, what are you going to do?" Allelujah said as he too read the monitor.

"For now, I'm going to cast his arm and leg and get him on an IV." Sumeragi said, "Then after he's been up and about for a few days, I'll have him undergo the treatment for his arm and leg, both are broken, but they haven't been badly broken. The treatment would only take about three to four days."

"Will he be alright though?" Allelujah asked, "What if he's in pain the entire time? Tieria can't have any pain medication." He had seen first hand what happens when Tieria took pain killers. In fact he had been the first to witness that. He and Tieria had been on a training mission and the smaller Meister had tripped and twisted his ankle. Instead of turning back, Tieria used the pain medication they kept on them and it didn't end well.

_

* * *

Allelujah and Tieria were walking through one of the tropical islands that Celestial Being owned. They were on a training mission in the deepest part of the forest. He had already warned Tieria to be careful but the boy didn't want to hear it._

_After a few minutes Allelujah heard Tieria wince then fall to the ground._

"_Tieria, are you alright?" Allelujah asked as he ran over to aid the other Meister._

"_Yeah," Tieria said, "I just twisted my ankle." He then tried to stand up and he fell to the ground again clutching his ankle._

"_I think it's more than just a twisted ankle, Tieria," Allelujah said, "We should turn back so you can get it looked at."_

"_NO!" Tieria snapped as he took a small syringe out of one of the pockets on his flight suit, "I'll be fine!" He then injected the medication into his injured leg, "See," He said as he stood with more success this time, "I'm fine! Keep going!"_

"_H-hai…" Allelujah said as he kept walking. After a while he noticed Tieria's footfalls getting further and further away, "Tieria, are you alright?"_

"_I said I was fine!" Tieria snapped._

"_Alright," Allelujah said. After a few more minutes he heard something hit the ground rather hard. He turned and found that Tieria had fallen to his knees clutching his stomach, "Tieria! What's wrong!?"_

"_I don't know…" He muttered, "My stomach…ugh…" He then pressed his hand to his mouth and threw up. "What's wrong with me…"He whispered before being sick again._

"_Have you used the medication before?" Allelujah asked as he gently rubbed Tieria's back in circles to try and soothe him. Tieria shook his head as he coughed and wiped his mouth on his sleeve, "I think you're having an allergic reaction. Tieria we have to abort! If this is an allergic reaction and we don't get you help immediately, you could die!"_

_Tieria looked up at Allelujah then promptly passed out. Allelujah sighed as he picked the smaller Meister then hurried back to base._

* * *

"Allelujah!" Sumeragi called loudly.

"Huh?" Allelujah responded.

"It's about time," Sumeragi said, "I've been calling you for a few minutes now and you've been off in la la land!"

"Sorry," Allelujah said, "I was just remembering what happened when we first found out that Tieria couldn't take any form of pain medication.

Sumeragi sighed. That had not been a fun experience. Tieria had gotten so sick from that, it took him about three days to recover. And while all of the symptoms he had experience had been those of an allergic reaction, the medical team said that it was only a severe intolerance not an allergy. "I'm sure he'll be fine," She said softly, "Tieria has a high tolerance for pain."

Then before anyone could say anything else, Lyle stormed into the medical room and slammed Regene against the wall by the throat. "You bastard!" He yelled, "You bastrad Innovators almost took another one of our comrades! What were you trying to do with Tieria!? He's not like you bastards!"

"Depending on how you look at it, he is like us," Regene said in a strangely calm manner, "Tieria is an Innovator as well. He was originally planted in Celestial Being to insure that orders were being followed. However when his link to Veda was broken he became useless and was marked to be destroyed. And while Ribbons had intended to have him destroyed, Veda allowed him to remain with Celestial Being for whatever reason."

"You're lying!" Lyle yelled as punched Regene in the face, nearly knocking him out, "Granted I don't know the kid all that well but I do know he's far too quiet and kind to be like you bastards!"

"Lyle leave him alone," Setsuna said as he entered the medical room, "It's not Regene Regetta's fault."

"Fine," Lyle said as he released Regene and the purple haired boy sank to the floor. Lyle then left the room without a word as Ian walked in.

"Is Tieria alright?" Setsuna asked as still shocked Allelujah and Sumeragi.

"He will be in a few days," Sumeragi said as she started helping Ian with the casts, "He's been through a lot but he'll pull through."

Setsuna nodded then turned to Regene who was still on the floor, "Are you alright?" He asked.

"I think so," Regene said as he slowly got to his feet.

"I'm sorry about him," Setsuna said, "After Anew Returner died, he's been swearing to get revenge."

"No, it's fine," Regene said, "It's nothing compared to what Ribbons will do to me."

Setsuna nodded then turned to the door, "Thank you Regene Regetta," He said as he left.

"Is he always like that?" Regene asked.

"Who Setsuna?" Allelujah asked, "Yeah he is. But Lockon surprised me, no has ever called Tieria kind before. Normally people describe him as stoic and aloof. But then again…he's changed a lot. Five years ago, he would have never come across as kind."

* * *

It took Sumeragi, Ian and half way through the process, Mileina about an hour to finish with the casts.

"Allelujah, will you bring him back to his room?" She asked, "He'll be more comfortable there. Mileina, I want you to set up the IV there, I don't think we'll have to keep him on it for more than twenty-four hours."

Allelujah nodded and gently lifted Tieria off the bad, making sure that his injured arm was across his chest to prevent the heavy cast from dislocating his shoulder.

"I'll meet you two in there in a little bit," Sumeragi said as the two left the room. She turned to Regene, "What are you going to do?"

"I'll figure it out." Regene said.

"You're welcome to stay with us if you want to," Sumeragi said, "I wouldn't mind."

"Thank you," Regene said, "But I have to decline. There are a few thinks that I have to do. I'm probably going to bring Shinead back to Earth, I don't want her involved in anymore of Ribbons' plans. I would stay but I too have a plan that I need to follow through with."

"I see," Sumeragi said, "I thank you for bringing Tieria back to us."

"It was mostly Shinead, but you're welcome." Regene said, "When I found out what Ribbons was planning to do with Tieria, I had to get him out of there. I know just how important he is to your cause. Plus, Tieria is _technically_ my older brother."

Sumeragi smirked, "The two of you might look exactly alike but you're nothing alike at all." She said, "Thank you, do you need us do you anything for you?"

Regene turned just before he left the medical room, "Yes there is," He said as he opened the door, "I need you to defeat Ribbons Alamark as soon as possible." He then left the room leaving Sumeragi utterly confused.

"But I thought you were subordinates…" She muttered

* * *

Mileina had just finished with the IV when Regene walked into Tieria's room. "Ah, hello there," She said, "I'm sorry I don't know your name."

"Regene Regetta," he said, "And you are?"

"Vashti, Mileina desu," She said, "Thank you for helping him. I don't know what we would have done without him."

Regene nodded, "I couldn't let Ribbons have his way with Tieria," he said, "Tieria doesn't need to be involved in his twisted affairs. But I'm at ease now that I know that Tieria's in good hands."

"You can trust us!" Mileina said, "Erde-san is our comrade and we can't help but take care of our comrades."

Regene walked over to the bed and looked at Tieria for what he figured would be the last time he would ever see his "twin's" face. He sighed, Tieria looked very uncomfortable. His face was still flushed from the fever and probably the dehydration as well and he just looked like he was in pain.

"He'll be alright in a few days," Allelujah said, "Tieria's been through worse than this."

Regene nodded. He wished he could talk to Tieria just one more time. Regene had a feel that his lifespan was running out. Ribbons was becoming more and more irritated with him and Regene knew that Ribbons wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he got in the way of his goals.

"Regene…" A soft whisper said as it brought him from his thoughts.

He looked down and saw that Tieria was just barely awake, "Tieria," He said, "What are you doing awake?"

"I don't know," Tieria whisper, "But…thank you…"

"You're welcome," Regene said, "Well I have to get going. You take care now, oniisan. I hope to see you around."

Tieria nodded then drifted back to sleep.

"Are you two really brothers?" Allelujah asked.

"Well," Regene said, "We do have the same DNA but I'm not sure if we can be considered brothers."

//I don't see why not, otoutousan // Tieria's voice resonated in his head.

"Sure it does," Mileina said, "If you have the same DNA then you're twins, therefore the two of you are brothers."

"Yeah," Regene said smiling lightly, "He agrees. Well I'm going to be leaving in a while and I want to talk to Feldt for a bit."

"Okay," Allelujah said, "Take care."

"Thank you Regetta-san," Mileina said, "Take care!"

* * *

Regene found Feldt alone in the bridge. "Feldt,"

"Regene," She said as she turned around, "How is Tieria doing?"

"I'm told he'll be fine," Regene said.

"Yeah he will be," Feldt said, "Even though he doesn't look it, Tieria is strong willed. He'll be in bed for a few days but then it will be like it never happened."

"I'm glad," Regene said, "I want to thank you."

"I didn't really do anything," Feldt said, "I should be the one thanking you."

"No," Regene said, "I want to thank you for distracting me and for treating me like your comrade, even though I am technically an enemy."

"It's fine," Feldt said, "You knew where Tieria was and I knew you were going to help get him back to us. So thank you Regene."

"You're welcome," Regene said, "Well I'm going to get going. I have trespassed on your ship long enough."

"I think I speak for everyone when I say that you're always welcome here," Feldt said, "So come back and visit sometime."

"I'll try," Regene said, "Good bye Feldt."

"Good bye Regene."

* * *

It had been about a day since Regene had left and Lyle was still thinking about what he had said about Tieria. //_Tieria is an Innovator as well. He was originally planted in Celestial Being to insure that orders were being followed// _Regene's voice resonated in his head.

//It can't be true// Lyle thought, //It just can't. Tieria can't be one of them he just can't//

But then he remembered another instance, when Tieria had first told them about the innovators. //_But you should know I'm also like-_//

//What was Tieria trying to tell us that day?// Lyle thought, //Could it be that he was trying to tell us that he was on of _them_!?//

"He was, wasn't he!?" Lyle exclaimed, "Tieria _is _one of them! That bastard! He had us all fooled, I bet he was working with them the entire time!" Enraged Lyle stood up and walked out of the room his destination, Tieria's room.

He walked up to the bed and pulled his fist back ready to strike the unsuspecting Meister when something stopped him.

//No, this wouldn't be right// He thought as he looked at the sleeping Meister. He could tell just by Tieria's face and breathing patterns that he was still running a rather high fever, //He's still sick, I can wait then//

* * *

Lyle waited about two hours before Tieria stirred. The boy didn't sit up but Lyle could tell that Tieria was awake.

"So were you planning with them the entire time you were away?" Lyle asked as he stood up, "Huh, you two faced bastard?"

"Lyle…" Tieria whispered, "What are you talking?"

"You're on of them aren't you?" Lyle asked as he pulled his fist back, "YOU BASTARD INNOVATOR!" He then punched Tieria in the face as hard as he could. "DID YOU THINK I WOULDN'T FIND OUT YOUR SECRET!? ANSWER ME!"

"LYLE! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" Sumeragi roared. She then floated up to Lyle, pulled him away from Tieria, then punched him in the face as hard as she could, "Get the hell away from him!"

"No," Tieria muttered through a heavily bleeding nose, "It's alright…I probably deserved it."

"Tieria," Sumeragi said, "Don't say that! You did not deserve to be punched in the face." She turned to Lyle, "I want you to return to your room until I have time to punish you as I see fit!" Lyle left the room then Sumeragi turned her attention to Tieria who was trying to stop the bleeding, "Are you alright?" She asked as she gently pinched the bridge of Tieria's nose and tipped his head back. "Your nose isn't broken, but he got you good."

"I'll be alright," Tieria said.

Sumeragi sighed as the bleeding slowed, "When you're feeling better, I give you full permission to get him back," She said as she cleaned the blood from his face, "Do whatever you want just don't shoot him." Tieria nodded and his nose started bleeding again, "Dammit don't move your head just yet. It had just stopped too. Dammit, what the hell am I going to do with you, all of you!?"

* * *

Tieria got home safely. That's a major relief to everyone. And what about Lyle? What are Sumeragi and Tieria going to do to him?" Can Tieria straighten that one out? Well you'll find out next chapter I guess…I'm joking. I wouldn't do that, it's too cruel. Hey I know it's a bit premature, but thanks for reading this. When this story's done I'll get another new story up as soon as I can. Until next time Minna-san!!

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	8. When a Person Has Something to Cry About

Konnichiwa minna-san! This is it guys. This story is done, and I kinda want to cry…this is so depressing…but in a way it's also happy for me, this is my first completed chaptered story! So while I want to cry my eyes out like Kira Yamato from Gundam Seed, I'm happy. I really hope you enjoy the last installment of Against Their Will.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or its characters. I own Shinead and the plot. Veda just let me borrow everything else for this story. Oh and I don't own Kira Yamato or Gundam Seed either.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Eight: When a Person Has Something to Cry About, They'll Cry

Sumeragi remained in Tieria's room for several hours after he had fallen back to sleep. She was worried about him, he had just been tortured by the enemy for about five days. Tieria always appeared to be the weakest Meister physically, he was skinnier than the others were and his pale complexion almost gave him a sickly look. Although, she marveled at the boy's mental strength and determination, it seemed that no matter what happened to him, he always wanted to press on. She knew that he would be alright but she could help but worry about the crew. It was almost as if she was the mother and the rest of the crew members were her children. She placed a cold compress on Tieria's forehead, made sure that both his broken leg and arm were elevated and she left the boy to sleep.

* * *

It had taken a few days for Tieria to feel well enough to walk around a bit. Although he preferred to stay in his room due to the broken leg, he would take short walks usually to the dinning room or the observation deck.

"It's good to see you up and about," Sumeragi said one morning as Tieria entered the dinning room. "I see you're getting around with less problems today."

"I've gotten used to using the crutch," he said, "Although I'm still finding it a little awkward to get around."

"Well you broke your leg," Sumeragi said, "We would give you a set of crutches instead of just one but seeing that you also broke your wrist it would be difficult to use the other one. Are you in pain at all?"

"Not really," Tieria said, "On occasion I'll get a sharp pain in my arm or leg but it's not terrible."

"That's good," Sumeragi said, "I'm still expecting you to get back at Lyle for giving you that bruise."

Tieria nodded, "I think I know what I want to do," he said.

"Oh and I want you to do it _before _we finish the treatment for your arm and leg," Sumeragi said, "Meaning before this afternoon."

Tieria nodded as Sumeragi grabbed his breakfast for him, "How long is it going to take for my arm and leg to heal?" Tieria asked.

"Not long," Sumeragi said, "It should only take about three days or so. Your arm and leg aren't broken badly but without treatment it would take a good four to six weeks to heal. And we need you to be able to pilot as soon as possible. Although, Regene did a fine job at trashing your Gundam but I think that Ian is used to having to make major repairs to the Seravee."

Tieria smirked a bit, "Yeah I don't think Regene is a pilot," Tieria said, "I think he's just a trouble maker."

"Really?" Sumeragi asked, "I didn't get that vibe from him. I viewed him as a very cautious person. Although he did say something that I found to be very peculiar, he asked us to defeat Ribbons Alamark as soon as possible."

"I have to agree with him," Tieria said, "Ribbons nearly killed a human girl because I didn't know anything about how the twin-drive or trans-am systems worked. Then...he nearly killed me…with my own hand."

"What!?" Sumeragi gasped.

"He took control of my body like he did with Anew," Tieria said softly, "He made me grab the gun that Shinead was keeping on her and he made me press the gun to my forehead…if Shinead didn't break my arm…I would have shot and killed myself."

Sumeragi gasped in shock as Tieria pushed his bangs back to reveal a cut and a fading bruise just below his hairline. "Oh my god…Tieria…" she gasped. She wanted to cry but she could let herself do that, especially in front of Tieria. Granted, it was just the two of them in the room, Tieria had gotten there a bit after the others had left. But Tieria didn't seem to be particularly upset about the ordeal he had been through, or perhaps it was so traumatizing for him that he had blocked it from his mind. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Tieria said, "I'm alright Sumeragi."

"No," Sumeragi said as she placed her hand on his shoulder, "You're not alright. You're not alright at all." She paused and tried to compose herself, "How the hell can you be alright after what you just went through, Tieria?"

Tieria sighed. He had no idea how to answer that question. He wasn't quiet sure what to make of the ordeal he had just gone through. He had been ambushed visiting his best friend's grave, held captive for several days, and then was nearly forced to kill himself. "I don't know," He said finally, "I managed to get out of the alive, and that's all that really matters I guess."

"Tieria…" Sumeragi said. She couldn't understand the way the boy in front of her thought. She just couldn't. Most people would have been an absolute mess after going through what he had just gone through and Tieria was "fine". But then again, Tieria wasn't normal. Tieria had a different mindset than the others, she had noticed that years ago when she had first met the boy. But still, how…how was he alright? She didn't understand it.

"Sumeragi," Tieria said, "Are you alright? You're crying?"

"No," Sumeragi cried, "I'm not alright!"

"What's wrong?" Tieria asked.

"I almost lost one of my pilots," She cried, "And that pilot is so damn stubborn, he's apathetic. Why can't he see just how close to death he came? Why isn't he bothered?"

Tieria sighed. He had a feeling that Sumeragi hadn't slept much in the past few nights. "I'm not bothered because it happened to me." He said, "I don't care about what happens to me as long as everyone else is safe. If I had been killed, then I would have died protecting our secrets." He paused, "You all have something live for, I…well, I don't. I have nothing to live for. I have no family, I'm not human. I was created to fight.

"I was marked to be destroyed five years ago," he said, "I've already out-live my lifespan by five years."

Sumeragi didn't want to raise her hand against Tieria but he needed it, "Tieria you idiot!" She yelled as she slapped him in the face so hard his glasses were knocked from his face. "I'm sorry but you needed that. How could you say something like that?"

Tieria sighed as he attempted to retrieve his glasses but they were out of his reach, "Because it's true," Tieria said, "My reason to fight is to protect the rest of you. You all have a reason to live, while I only have a reason to fight. When we aren't needed anymore, what will I have to live for? What will I do with the rest of life? It isn't like I can live a normal life, I don't think I'll ever age. And even if I do, my aging is suppressed so I won't age as quickly."

He paused, "Sumeragi, I know you find this upsetting, but I don't want to see any more comrades die. I would take a bullet for any of the members of this crew if it meant that they would live. As long as you're all safe, I don't care if I'm killed."

"And what about Setsuna, Allelujah and Feldt?" Sumeragi exclaimed, "How fair would it be for them if you were to die? They've already had to suffer through Neil's death. How do you think they would fair if you were to die? How fair is it to them if they had to suffer through the deaths _two _comrades, while you only had to suffer through one?

"You're being selfish _and _selfless, dammit!" She yelled, "You're the _only _person I know who could pull that little stunt off! Think about it Tieria, how would the others react to your hypothetic death?"

Tieria sighed. He hadn't thought about that. He really hadn't, but then again, it was just recently that he realized that people worried about him. He had always tired to distance himself from others. He understood that casualties were inevitable during war so he had always figured that if he distanced himself from others, parting wouldn't be so painful. But he had learned that no matter how much he tried to distance himself, parting ways was always painful.

"Tieria," Sumeragi said as she placed her hand on his shoulder, "I too don't want to see any more comrades get killed. But unlike you, I don't want my comrades to have to deal with the pain of my death. I'm not trying to say that your intentions are wrong, but please, in the upcoming battles, don't do anything stupid."

Tieria nodded and remained in the dinning room for a while before heading off to find Lyle.

* * *

Lyle was standing in one the observations decks. Apparently Tieria was finally feeling better and was able to take short walks around the ship. He couldn't say that he wasn't feeling awful about punching the smaller Meister in the face. Sumeragi had already given him a very stern lecture about the situation Tieria was in and she had nearly guilt-tripped him into apologizing but for whatever reason, he couldn't bring himself to face the smaller Meister.

He sighed as the door opened. He was expecting to get chastised by yet another crew member. But then he heard at soft metallic click and he gasped. He knew that Tieria was using a crutch to get around due to a broken leg.

"Tieria…"

"Lockon Stratos…iie Lyle Dylandi," Tieria said as he slowly limped towards the taller Meister.

Lyle turned, "How are you feel-" Lyle didn't finish his sentence. Tieria had abandoned the crutch and punched him in the face.

"I can assure you that I am _not _like those bastards. I just recently found out what I am. I knew I was different but up until I met Regene, I had no idea I was an Innovator." He said as he gently shook the momentary pain from his uninjured hand. "I may have been like them physically at one point but I would never resort to their methods."

"What do you mean by you were like them at one point?" Lyle said as she rubbed where Tieria had hit him.

"I suffered a major concussion five years ago," Tieria said as he leaned against the crutch again. Walking was still difficult and tiring, "And because of that, my ability to use quantum brainwaves was severely hindered. Plus I've lost my link to Veda. So I'm basically nothing more than a human, Lyle."

"But you're still an innovator," Lyle said, "Just because a few things happened doesn't mean that you've become human. You can't just become human when you feel like it Tieria."

Tieria sighed and smiled a bit. He then punched Lyle again, but this time he used the wrist that he had broke, "Don't put me in the same category as those bastards!" He yelled, "I am not an innovator!" He looked down at Lyle who had his hand in front of his face. He then noticed the blood around the other Meister's face, "By the way Lyle, I think your nose is bleeding."

"No thanks to you," Lyle said as he stood up slowly, "Dammit Tieria, I think you broke my nose."

"An eye for an eye," Tieria said as he limped from the room, "You might want to get to the medical bay before you pass out from blood loss. You're looking a little bit woozy."

"Gee I wonder why?" Lyle said as he followed the boy from the room.

* * *

Sumeragi was rather amused when Tieria walked into the medical room followed by a rather irritated Lyle.

"What happened to you?" Sumeragi asked.

"Tieria is what happened to me," Lyle said angrily, "He broke my nose with his broken wrist."

Sumeragi looked at Tieria, "Good job," She said, "Tieria are you ready?"

"Yeah," Tieria said as he limped over to one of the beds and sat down on it.

"Alright," Sumeragi said, "We're going to start the treatment now."

"Before you start," Tieria said, "I want to go to Ireland one last time when the treatment is through."

Sumeragi sighed and nodded, "I'll come with you this time," She said as she carefully injected something into Tieria's arm and helped him lay down on the bed, "I'll see you in a few days."

"Thank you," Tieria murmured as he started getting increasingly drowsy, "Sumeragi…" With that his eyes closed as the medication started to do its job.

* * *

Once Sumeragi activated the medical capsule for Tieria she turned to Lyle, "So what do you suggest we do about your nose?" She asked.

"Um, treatment would be nice," Lyle said.

Sumeragi thought for a moment, "I don't know," She said, "I think you can deal with it the way it is," She said, "It would serve you right for hitting Tieria when you did."

"What!?" Lyle yelled out, "You expected me to go around with a broken nose until it heals?"

"Well," Sumeragi said, "I would but with Setsuna heading to Lagrange five and with both Tieria and the Seravee unable to fight for the time being, I guess I don't have a choice but to give you treatment for your nose."

"Thank you," Lyle said as he got on the other medical bed.

"Although," She said, "You do owe Tieria an apology."

"After what he did to me?" Lyle said.

"Yes," Sumeragi said, "I'll have you know that Tieria's temperature was thirty-nine point three when you punched him in the face. He never did anything to you in fact he's saved your ass quite a few times."

Lyle sighed, "Yeah I know," he said.

"Well lie down," Sumeragi said, "I'm about to begin your treatment." She then injected a simple pain killer into Lyle's arm. "There you go, all set."

"What the hell!? Sumeragi Li Noriega!"

* * *

It had been almost two weeks since Tieria had been here last. But unlike the last time, it was pleasant and sunny. Tieria sighed as he placed his hand on the warm granite. He was trying to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. //Is this an omen?// Tieria thought, //Every time I've come here it's rained. What does this mean? Does this mean that my life is going to come to an end? Is this the last time I'll ever come here?// He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around to find Sumeragi and Feldt standing there. He shifted his weight on the crutches he was using. His leg had healed but Sumeragi had insisted that he use crutches to get around for a few days just as a precaution.

"Tieria," Sumeragi said, "It's alright to cry." Tieria nodded but he didn't cry, "Aren't you warm with that jacket on?"

"No," Tieria said softly, "I'm alright." It was almost too warm with the suit he had on but he for whatever reason he didn't remove the jacket.

"It's such a nice day," Feldt said, "It always seems like it's raining whenever we come here."

"Hmm, I know," Sumeragi said, "But I guess it's a good thing. Perhaps it means that we'll be successful in defeating the A-Laws and the Innovators without losing anymore comrades."

"I hope so," Feldt said.

Tieria sighed and bit his lip. He was thinking the exact opposite. He was thinking that it was perhaps Neil's way of telling him that his life was almost over. He bowed his head so that his hair would obscure his eyes. Everything Sumeragi had said to him a few days earlier finally made sense to him. He couldn't let himself die and yet he couldn't see any other way to reclaim Veda. He knew what Ribbons Alamark was like and he also knew that Ribbons wouldn't hesitate to shoot and kill anyone who got in his way. And he also knew that in order to accomplish his final mission, he would have to face Ribbons. He wished that there was some other way to reclaim Veda but he was completely out of options.

"Tieria, what's wrong?" Sumeragi asked. No sooner had she asked this when Tieria put his head on her shoulder and cried. She sighed, "I know, Tieria I know." She said as she pulled him into a hug, "It's hard to lose such a close friend. Neil was your first friend, wasn't he? Please Tieria, don't be afraid to cry."

Feldt was rather taken aback by Tieria's display of emotion. She always viewed Tieria as cold and stoic but she had once heard someone say: "When a person has something to be happy about, they'll smile and a person has something to cry about they'll cry." She figured that that is what was happening with Tieria. She sighed and gently placed her hand on Tieria's back. "It'll be alright Tieria," She said, "Neil wouldn't want you to be upset."

Tieria didn't want to die but he knew that the chances of him surviving his mission were slim to none. He wanted to live, not for himself, but for Feldt, Sumeragi, Mileina, Ian, Lasse, Setsuna, Allelujah, and Lyle. But most of all, he wanted to live for Neil, the man who had made him human.

* * *

Well, what did you think? Did I entertain you? Or at worst, I've done no harm. (Trans-Siberian Orchestra kinda owns that one). But don't worry too much, in a few weeks I'll have a new story up. It will probably be a long overdue first season aftermath. So tell me what you thought. Thanks for sticking with me! Domo Arigato Minna-san!

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


End file.
